Uproar over Suffolk County's plan to replace overpass bridge into the Hamptons

A $50 million plan to raze and replace an overpass bridge in Hampton Bays, with detours into neighborhood streets, has sparked an uproar on the South Fork over fears of worsening already severe traffic conditions.

Suffolk County is planning to replace the bridge, which is on Montauk Highway and carries the road over Long Island Rail Road tracks. The plan would divert traffic for roughly eight months, beginning in the fall or winter of 2030, with the new bridge scheduled to be finished by the following summer. 

County officials plan to send traffic onto neighborhood roads south of the highway, adding temporary traffic signals along the route.

Hampton Bays residents said the plan is likely to worsen an already difficult traffic situation. Montauk Highway is one of two routes across the Shinnecock Canal that drivers use to travel to and from the South Fork, making it a major artery into the Hamptons. The two-lane road is often congested during peak hours, and residents are worried the 1½-mile detour would bring much more spillover traffic into their streets.

Although the project is four years away, residents say they are worried that detours could overwhelm roads that already serve as an unofficial bypass. While Suffolk officials have acknowledged the closure will have an impact on businesses, commuters and emergency services, it has not tempered residents’ concerns.

A civic group has asked the county to consider alternatives to the detour, including construction of a temporary bridge.

"If you have two major roadways and you're removing one of them, the obvious answer is put in a temporary roadway," Michael McCullough, vice president of the Hampton Bays Civic Association, said in an interview.

County officials have said a temporary bridge is too costly and impractical.

Michael Martino, a Suffolk County spokesman, said officials “evaluated a temporary parallel bridge but determined it was not feasible because of limited right-of-way, utilities, nearby homes and the challenges of working over active LIRR tracks.”

'Exceeded its useful life'

County officials hope to minimize the detour’s impact by containing it to the Hamptons' traditional offseason. The demolition and detours are planned for after Labor Day 2030. The plan is to complete the work before the summer crush begins again on Memorial Day 2031. Martino said the project is expected to cost roughly $50 million and be funded primarily by the Federal Highway Administration.

Charlie Bartha, commissioner of the county's department of public works, said in a statement that the project “is moving forward" and design plans are being drawn, which will go to the state and other entities for approvals.

"As the design takes shape, we are listening to the community. Feedback from residents, businesses, and commuters will be reviewed and incorporated wherever feasible and to minimize the project's impact on traffic," Bartha said.

The overpass, built in 1934 and last rehabilitated in 1988, has the lowest condition rating of any county-maintained bridge, officials from Suffolk's department of public works said during a presentation in July. It does not meet current engineering standards — its bearings are dysfunctional and it’s susceptible to earthquake damage, according to county officials.

"It has exceeded its useful service life, and replacing it is necessary to ensure the long-term safety and reliability of the critical transportation corridor,” Kyle Swaringen, director of bridge and structure engineering at the Suffolk County department of public works, said during the July presentation.

In an August letter to the county, the Hampton Bays Civic Association said a prolonged closure of the community’s primary east-west route could worsen congestion, disrupt businesses, strain roads and potentially delay emergency services. The group noted that Stony Brook Southampton Hospital — the closest hospital to Hampton Bays — is east of the bridge, while most residents live west of it. 

The letter asks the county to study whether a temporary bridge could be built.

"We want information and facts,” McCullough told Newsday. “What we really want to know is: Is it the poor planning, or are there just insurmountable barriers to having a temporary roadway?"

Bill Dugary, an engineer with county consultant Gannett Fleming, said during the meeting that the detour adds roughly 10 minutes of travel time — a statement that was met with laughter from a crowd used to Montauk Highway’s traffic jams.

“It's simply impossible that it could be only a 10-minute delay,” McCullough said in an interview.

Easing pressure on Sunrise Highway

In his statement, Bartha said that "as plans are finalized, we will share details on construction staging, detours, and schedules so the public can plan ahead. We appreciate the community's patience and engagement and will continue to provide updates as the project advances.”

Southampton Councilman Tom Neely said the key to mitigating the detour's impact is to improve traffic flow on Sunrise Highway/County Road 39, the major multilane highway in Southampton. The town is discussing interim improvements with the county, he said in an interview.

"It's a combination of hopefully getting [Sunrise Highway] to flow a little better and hopefully getting more people in trains so that they don't have to drive, so that we can really reduce the demand, reduce the pressure on Montauk Highway, and then the residential roads adjacent to it," Neely, who was previously town transportation director, said.

Last November, storm erosion damaged the abutment of a bridge near the Shinnecock Canal on Sunrise Highway, requiring the state to close lanes and make emergency repairs. The situation increased commute times by about two hours, Newsday has reported.

Neely stressed the importance of replacing the bridge before a catastrophic event.

"You don't want to find out it needs to be replaced by having the bridge collapse with people on it," Neely said. "That's a nightmare scenario."